Touch of Truth
by SSBFreak
Summary: When Alanis finds out that she has the power to unwillingly see dark secrets that people have been keeping, she finds herself against a murderer.
1. Prolouge

Chapter one: Prologue  
  
The sun was shining brightly in Budehuc Castle. While some people actually liked the hot afternoon sun like Anne, who thought of this as an opportunity to sell more drinks, some people considered it a setback like Barts, who wanted rain to help his garden grow.  
  
For one young girl, lying out in the sun was all she wanted to do at the moment. Her curly brown hair seemed to shine under the sun, and her red jacket and dress were neatly pressed. A staff was lying on the ground next to her as she lay on a hill near the lake.  
  
Alanis sighed to herself. She was getting so bored. Melville had gone with Hugo and a team to search the Northern Cavern for rare runes, and Elliot had been chosen to be in one of Nadir's play and was being forced to spend the whole day memorizing the play. This left Alanis with very little to do.  
  
"Well, I guess I should get up and find something to do." Alanis thought out loud. "No use just lying around on a beautiful day like this when I could be doing stuff."  
  
"CANNONBALL!!!!!"  
  
Alanis' eyes widened as she looked straight ahead, which turned out to be up. Hallec leapt from the ledge above and was soaring towards the lake, curled up in a ball. When Hallec hit the lake, water was sent out in all directions, a whole wave of it coming down on Alanis.  
  
A giant sweatdrop hung over Alanis' head as the water cleared away, leaving her soaking wet. Well, at least she could hang her clothes out to dry.  
  
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After her clothes were dry, Alanis walked through Budehuc, looking for something to do. Without Melville and Elliot around, Alanis was always looking for something that could pass the time.  
  
Alanis soon found herself walking towards the front gate, where Cecile was. Alanis also spotted Koroku and Kosanji standing with her. Alanis decided to walk over to her.  
  
Hearing someone coming, Cecile turned her head to look over her shoulder and saw Alanis coming. She smiled as she turned around completely.  
  
"Hey, Alanis!" Cecile greeted. "Lovely afternoon, isn't it?"  
  
Alanis nodded. "Yeah. It sure is a great day out."  
  
Suddenly, Cecile noticed Alanis' slightly wet hair. "Um...If I may ask, did you just come out of the bathhouse? You're hair is wet."  
  
Alanis sighed with a slight smirk. "No. I was relaxing by the lake and Hallec showed me one of his trademark cannonballs."  
  
Cecile chuckled. "So what brings you here, Alanis?" She asked.  
  
Alanis sighed again. "I'm bored and I'm looking for something to do." She explained. "Melville's out on this treasure run with Hugo and Elliot's in this play of Nadir's."  
  
Cecile pondered this for a second. "Why not try the bathhouse?" She asked. "If you go in there, you'll be sure to meet up with some of the other residents here. Maybe you'll get to know them more."  
  
Alanis rubbed her chin. That actually didn't sound like a bad idea. "I might just do that. Thanks, Cecile!"  
  
After saying goodbye, Alanis turned tail and ran off towards the mansion so she could get to the ship.  
  
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Alanis looked around as she sat in the female's side of the bathhouse. Cecile was right in saying that she might meet up with some of the other residents. Queen, Shabon and Yuiri were all in the bath as well. Alanis decided to listen as the other three females were having a conversation.  
  
"You mean that Jacques might actually have a crush on Aila?" Yuiri asked, slightly wide eyed.  
  
Queen nodded with a sly grin. "Yeah. He's been taking Aila on little strolls lately to talk to her" She paused for a few seconds to think about what she had just said. "Well, Aila does most of the talking. Anyway," She looked towards Shabon. "I believe you noticed something that hinted at that yourself, didn't you?"  
  
Shabon looked at Queen questioningly. "I did?"  
  
"Yeah! You told me! Remember when you went on a mission with Hugo, Jacques, Aila, Nicolas and Leo up the Mountain Path and you were fighting that Rock Golem?"  
  
Shabon's eyes went wide in remembrance. "Oh, yeah! Jacques jumped in front of Aila and protected her from the Golem's fist!"  
  
Yuiri smirked. "Well, I guess it's safe to assume that he likes her."  
  
Queen chuckled as she looked in Alanis' direction, realizing that she had been quiet the whole time. "Hey, Alanis? Why are you being so quiet?" The elder woman asked as she moved over towards Alanis to hear her out.  
  
Alanis looked down. "It's just that I feel left out." She replied.  
  
The Alma Kinan woman turned her attention towards the brown-haired girl. "Left out?" She asked.  
  
The young girl nodded. "Yeah. When my friends aren't around, I feel like I'm alone." She looked up as her eyes became misty. "Have you guys ever felt like that when some of your team leaves you behind while they go on a mission?"  
  
Queen bit her lip. She wasn't expecting this question. "Well, normally, at least Ace gets left behind with me, but when I find myself the lone member of the 12th Unit still hanging around, I guess I do get kind of lonely." She admitted.  
  
"How could you be lonely?" Yuiri asked Queen. "There are a lot of people hanging around."  
  
"But a lot of them are either nothing like me or have some sort of rivalry against me." The elder woman replied. "Like Elaine."  
  
Shabon sighed. "I get real lonely when Toppo and Nei leave on a mission. I can't practice the music by myself and I get bored easier, but at least I have plenty of other friends to hang around with. You do too, Alanis." She added.  
  
"I know. But it's just not the same." Alanis shook her head.  
  
"When Yumi goes on a mission without me, I find the best thing to do is go to the library and read a book. It passes the time a lot quicker." Yuiri added.  
  
"Hey, but don't worry, Alanis." Queen assured, placing a comforting hand on the young girl's shoulder. "If anything happens, the three of us will be there for you to cheer you up, because we know what it feels like to be alone sometimes."  
  
Yuiri nodded with a warm smile. "Yes. We should stick up for each other. After all, we're in this together."  
  
Shabon jumped up and down excitedly. "We can come up with a Combo Attack!"  
  
"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Hallec's distinctive roar came from the men's side of the bathhouse.  
  
"Was that Hallec?" Alanis asked as she turned towards the wall.  
  
Queen shook her head in hopelessness. "The water's too hot for him. He did this a couple days ago." She replied.  
  
"Then why does he keep doing it if he knows that water's going to be hot?" Yuiri asked curiously.  
  
Queen shrugged. "Short term memory I guess."  
  
All four of them quickly dropped the subject and started planning their future combo attack.  
  
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Alanis left the bathhouse, feeling way more cheerful than when she went in. Cecile was definitely right about getting to know the others that were in the bathhouse. She had become fast friends with Queen, Shabon and Yuiri quicker than what seemed like humanly possible and had even scheduled the date for the training for their combo attack to see what happened.  
  
The young girl decided to walk around a little more and see where she ended up. Alanis walked out into the graveyard, walking past Twaikin and Bazba. After reaching the hallway, Alanis decided to walk to the right and pay Muto a visit at the vault.  
  
Seeing the girl coming, the tall Kobold grinned as his tail started wagging. "Alanis! What a surprise!"  
  
"Hey, Muto." Alanis replied with a smile. "How're things?"  
  
"Great! I haven't forgotten where anything is yet, I have lots of things stored for all sorts of different people," A sly smirk gloated across his face. "And I helped a new couple find love."  
  
Alanis raised an eyebrow. "Another couple? Man, it seems like people are falling in love left and right around here." She started counting with her fingers. "Thomas and Cecile, Reed and Kathy, Edge and Mamie, Rody and Belle, the list just keeps going." A smirk came to her face as well. "Who's the lucky couple this time?"  
  
"Arthur and Rico." Muto replied. "Reed and Duke also helped get those two together."  
  
"Arthur and Rico?" Alanis repeated. "They don't look like they have much in common."  
  
"Then again, neither do Rody and Belle."  
  
"You have a point there."  
  
Muto grinned. "Thank you!"  
  
"Hey Muto? I was wondering if you could give me some suggestions for something to do." Alanis explained. "I'm getting bored since Melville and Elliot aren't around."  
  
Muto scratched his chin. "Go for a swim in the lake?" He suggested.  
  
"I just came from the bathhouse, thanks."  
  
"Check out the library?"  
  
"I don't really feel like reading at the moment. But thanks anyway."  
  
"Help Landis play practical jokes on Lilly?"  
  
"It sounds tempting, but I'm not the type to do those sorts of things."  
  
"Go to the ranch and take a ride?"  
  
Alanis paused and thought about this for a moment. "You know? I might just do that. Thanks, Muto!"  
  
Bidding farewell to Muto, Alanis turned around and walked towards the stairs leading to the main floor of the castle.  
  
Alanis walked through the castle, passing by several of the other residents on the way. The young girl quickly arrived at the front door and walked through it, going outside and back into the afternoon sunlight. She breathed in the fresh air and walked down the steps leading towards the courtyard.  
  
Walking into the main area of Budehuc, Alanis looked around. Several of the residents were scattered around, talking with each other. She quickly noticed Lilly walking her way, and she looked real ticked off. Alanis backed up slightly, wondering if Lilly was mad at her for some reason.  
  
Lilly walked over to Alanis and looked down at her. "Have you seen Landis around here lately?" She asked.  
  
"Um...I'm sorry, Lilly. I haven't seen him all day." Alanis admitted.  
  
Lilly sighed as she started walking off. "Boy, when I get my hands on that one-eyed wierdo..." Alanis couldn't make out the rest, but as Lilly was walking away, the younger girl noticed that a stool was glued to the seat of her pants.  
  
Alanis suddenly decided to get over to the ranch before Landis started playing his practical jokes on her. Turning around, Alanis charged down the stairs leading to the Bujitsu Center.  
  
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Alanis quickly hung a left, running towards the ranch. Juan was sound asleep, snoring like a train while Peggi stood alone in his Blacksmith room, dancing slowly to non-existent music.  
  
Although confused at the sight of Peggi doing the robot, Alanis kept running, charging down the path leading to the ranch.  
  
When Alanis arrived at the ranch, she saw Kathy tending to her horses. She smiled as she walked over to her.  
  
Before she could get far, Alanis heard a distinctive chuckle coming from a tree above. Looking up, Alanis saw a very familiar Winger perched on a branch.  
  
Alanis smirked. "Hey Landis? I don't think you'll be laughing when Lilly finds you." She said.  
  
Landis suddenly stopped laughing as his good eye widened. "If you need me, I'll be on the ship." He said before spreading his wings and flying away.  
  
The young girl chuckled as she continued walking over to Kathy. The blonde girl turned from Gage, her favourite horse, and saw Alanis coming. She grinned. "Heya, Alanis!" She greeted. "What brings you out here?"  
  
"I think I'd like to try my hand on the race course." Alanis replied.  
  
Kathy nodded. "Great! What difficulty would you like?" She asked.  
  
Alanis thought for a second. She knew that she wasn't ready for the course to be littered with obstacles, but having no obstacles would be too boring. "I'll ride the course with some obstacles." She replied.  
  
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Alanis sat on a Karayan horse as she waited at the starting line for Kathy to tell her to go. There were a few obstacles on the course, but nothing too major.  
  
"Ready, Alanis?" Kathy called out from the sidelines. Alanis nodded. "Okay, here we go! 3...2...1..."  
  
"GO!!"  
  
Alanis took off on the horse after being given the signal. She figured that Percival had the top time for too long, and was determined to knock him out of the top slot.  
  
The Karayan horse flew down the course, either running around the obstacles or leaping over them. Alanis could feel the light breeze turn into a strong wind for her as she flew through the course, gripping the horse for dear life to make sure that she didn't fall off.  
  
One lap was quickly over and Alanis' horse kept on going. It seemed like the horse wanted the top time as well.  
  
"Keep going, boy!" Alanis told the horse. "We can do this!"  
  
The horse neighed as it seemed like it went a little faster. It seemed like what Alanis had said gave the horse a little extra energy.  
  
Alanis continued to ride through the course at top speed while Kathy watched her from the sidelines, amazed at how fast she was going. Seeing the young girl fly past the finish line to end the second lap, she figured that Alanis would have the top time away from Percival with no problem.  
  
"One more lap, boy!" Alanis told the horse. "Let's show Percival what you can do!"  
  
This little talk gave the horse the added energy to keep going, despite starting to get tired.  
  
Leaping over three crates in a row, Alanis could feel the horse starting to get tired. "Don't let us down, boy!" She told it. "I know you can do this!"  
  
The Karayan horse, with Alanis perched on top of it, flew past the finish line for the final time. The horse kept running.  
  
"Whoa, boy! Whoa!" Alanis said. "We did it! We're done!"  
  
After Alanis said that the horse screeched to a halt. Unfortunately, the horse was going so fast and the fact that it didn't have any reigns for Alanis to hold onto, that when the horse slowed down dramatically, Alanis was sent flying forward. Alanis cried in terror as she flew through the air and slammed headfirst into a crate.  
  
"ALANIS!" Kathy cried as she charged onto the racetrack and rushed over to the fallen girl.  
  
But Kathy was too late. Alanis was already out cold.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Now, you guys may think that this fic may not be deserving of a PG-13 rating, but it'll be explained in later chapters. Please read and review! 


	2. Secrets Revealed

Chapter two: Secrets Revealed  
  
Alanis opened her eyes, expecting to find herself still on the racetrack, Kathy's worried figure standing over her. What she saw instead was a complete shock. Alanis found herself in an empty void. Besides the many alternating colours of energy pulsating around her, the whole void was completely empty.  
  
The young girl tried to sit up, but found that she couldn't. She found out that she was actually floating. She couldn't sit, stand or lay down; just float there.  
  
Alanis looked around worriedly. "Hello?" She asked quietly. "Is there anyone there?"  
  
She sighed after she said that. Somehow, she doubted that there would be someone that just so happened to be in the same void as her. She was about to think that she'd have no way out of this when she suddenly heard something.  
  
"...Alanis..." A strangely familiar voice whispered.  
  
Alanis looked over her shoulder and saw a ball of light floating in her direction. Her eyes widened, Alanis turned herself around.  
  
"W-Who are you?" Alanis asked, slightly scared.  
  
"...You'll find out soon enough." The ball of light replied. Alanis knew that she had heard that voice before, but she just couldn't place it. "I'm sorry Alanis, but this is the only way. You're the only one who can do this."  
  
Suddenly, the ball of light flew at Alanis, who tried to swim away from it. She found that she couldn't get anywhere and screamed, realizing that she wouldn't be able to escape.  
  
The ball of light flew straight into Alanis' head, blinding her. Alanis found herself blacking out again.  
  
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Alanis groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. The bright light of the sun helped her wake up completely. As soon as her eyes opened all the way, she saw a teenage, blonde girl standing over her.  
  
"Alanis!" Kathy cried. "You're alright!"  
  
Suddenly, a pair of small arms were thrown around Alanis. When she looked at the owner of them, she saw Shabon hugging her.  
  
"You gave all of us quite a scare." Queen said as Shabon released Alanis. "Thank goodness you woke up quickly."  
  
Yuiri held out her hand to Alanis and helped her to her feet. "Shabon, Queen and I were near the ranch when we heard Kathy screaming your name." She explained.  
  
"Well, thanks for coming, guys." Alanis said as she breathed heavily, remembering the dream she had. "Man, what happened?"  
  
"Your horse was going so fast that when you told him to stop, he stopped so quickly that you were thrown off of him." Kathy explained. "You flew head first into this crate and blacked out. Thankfully, you weren't out that long."  
  
Alanis looked at Kathy. "How did I do in the race, anyway?" She asked.  
  
Kathy chucked. "You creamed Percival's time by at least five seconds." She replied. "I don't think anyone will be taking that time away from you for a while."  
  
Queen looked down at Alanis. "Hey, why don't you go to the tavern and get a glass of juice for yourself?" She suggested. "I think it'll help your nerves relax."  
  
The young brunette nodded. "I might just do that, Queen." She replied. "Thanks again for coming, everyone."  
  
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Alanis sat in the Tavern sipping from the glass of orange juice Anne had given her. Among the others sitting down at the other tables were Duke's team, Tuta, Juan(asleep at his chair, or course) and Samus, who was more looking at Anne than finishing his drink.  
  
No matter how much Alanis could try, she couldn't get her mind off of the dream she had. She was still trying to remember where she had heard that voice before. She tried thinking of the many people she had met in her life, but couldn't remember half of the voices they had.  
  
Alanis was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a loud thud coming from in front of her. Looking up, she saw a script sitting on the table, and Nadir standing beside her.  
  
"Alanis, I've just had this splendid idea for a play!" Nadir said. "I'm hoping that you can be in it. You'd be perfect for the part!"  
  
Alanis smiled brightly. "I'd love to, Nadir!" She said. "When is it?"  
  
"Thursday." Nadir replied.  
  
The young girl's face fell. "I'm sorry, Nadir." She said. "But that's the day Queen, Yuiri, Shabon and I practice a combo attack. Is there any way you can reschedule the play?"  
  
Nadir sighed sadly. "I'm afraid not. Thursday is the only day my leading actors for the play are available." He replied.  
  
Alanis sighed as well as she grabbed the script and held it out. "I'm sorry, Nadir. Really, I am." She apologized.  
  
"It's quite alright, Alanis." Nadir replied. "It's not your fault."  
  
Nadir reached out and grasped the other end of the script in Alanis' hand. Suddenly, as soon as Nadir's fingers grabbed the papers, Alanis was blinded in a flash of white light.  
  
The light quickly faded, but Alanis found that she was no longer in the Tavern. Instead, she was standing in a stone hallway. Nadir was no longer beside her, either.  
  
"What am I doing here?" Alanis asked. "This was ten, maybe fifteen years ago!" She was silent for a few seconds. "Wait a minute! How come I know that?!"  
  
Suddenly, Alanis heard voices coming from down the hallway. Looking in the direction of the voices, she saw two men, one with silver hair and one with red hair, running down the hallway with various sword wounds.  
  
"Seed, we can't leave King Luca like this!" The silver-haired man said. Apparently, they couldn't see or hear Alanis, as they paid no attention to her.  
  
"Culgan, we have no choice! It's too late for him now, anyway!" The red- haired man, named Seed, replied. "Come on! You and I both know that we've been wanting to get away from this guy as soon as possible after what he did to Solon Jhee!"  
  
Culgan nodded. "I guess you're right."  
  
Suddenly, Alanis heard a rumbling coming from above. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw what must have been thirty tons of debris falling from the roof. It became obvious that the rook above was caving in. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw that it was all about to come down on top of Culgan.  
  
Seed apparently saw this too. His eyes snapped open. "CULGAN! LOOK OUT!" He cried.  
  
Alanis watched in amazement as Seed used all of his might to push Culgan out of harm's way, just as the debris came crashing down, forming a huge makeshift wall between them.  
  
"SEED!" Culgan cried as he started pulling rocks from the wall. "ANSWER ME! WHERE ARE YOU?!"  
  
"I'm fine! I'm on the other side of the wall!" Seed replied. "Culgan, I want you to get out of here and save yourself!"  
  
Culgan shook his head furiously. "No can do, pal! We're best friends!"  
  
"The wall is too thick and the roof will come down at any second!" Seed replied. "I'll go back and take the alternate way out, but I want you to get out the main door!"  
  
Culgan was silent, but nodded. "Okay! We'll meet again, my friend! I know we will!"  
  
Alanis watched as Culgan ran towards her, ran right through her and continued running down the hall. As she watched the fleeing man run off, everything went white again.  
  
The light quickly cleared again, and Alanis found herself back in the Tavern of Budehuc, still clutching the script while Nadir held onto the other end.  
  
"...Are you going to give me this or are you having second thoughts?" Nadir asked.  
  
Alanis quickly realized what she was dong and instantly let go of the script. She looked up at Nadir, who she suddenly realized looked exactly like Culgan would if he wore a mask. Her eyes widened, realizing that Nadir was really the Highland General Culgan.  
  
"S-Sorry, Nadir." Alanis said, cracking a weak smile.  
  
Nadir nodded and walked off, back towards the stage. Alanis did the only thing she could think of.  
  
She leapt from her seat and bolted through the side door leading to the mansion.  
  
Several questions ran through Alanis' head as she scrambled up the stairs. Was it true that Nadir was really a Highland General? How could Alanis find that out just by touching him? Why didn't anything happen when Shabon and Yuiri touched her?  
  
Alanis gulped as she ran towards the library. It was quite obvious why Nadir was keeping this a secret and Alanis figured that she wasn't supposed to find anything out.  
  
The young brunette was running straight towards the library door when she suddenly remembered that Eike and Ernie wanted everyone to be quiet inside. Alanis tried to stop herself, but unfortunately, the floor had just been waxed. Alanis skidded along the floor and slammed into the door hard. Alanis quickly got up and walked into the library.  
  
As Eike was placing books on the shelf, Ace was scanning through the adventure novels, chuckling for some strange reason. Beecham sat at the table, reading a book.  
  
Alanis walked over to the bookshelf and looked through the books, hoping to find something that could help take her mind off of the secret she had just found out. She suddenly spotted a book that caught her eyes, but it was in the top slot of the shelf, clearly out of her reach.  
  
Alanis sighed as she turned to the librarian, who was still sorting through the books next to her. "Hey Eike? I'd like to take a look at that book on the top shelf, but I can't reach it." She said, pointing up to the top shelf.  
  
Eike turned to her. "Say...No more, Alanis." He said as he reached up and plucked the book from the shelf. "Is this it?"  
  
Alanis nodded. Eike pulled his arm down and held the book out for the young girl to take. Alanis grasped the edge of the book, which Eike was still holding onto, but once she did, she was again blinded in a white light that came from nowhere.  
  
The light cleared again. When Alanis looked around, she saw that she was in a hallway of some sort of headquarters for a demolition or construction crew. It was also during the middle of the night.  
  
"Oh, man!" Alanis said. "Eike too?!" She paused for a few seconds. "Wait a minute. This doesn't make any sense. This is fifty years ago." She said, surprised at how she could suddenly know that.  
  
She suddenly spotted a light hanging from the ceiling not too far away, in the corner. Standing in the light were two men, one considerably bigger than the other, both laughing and talking.  
  
Alanis raised an eyebrow. What could this possibly have to do with Eike? Just as she thought that, she heard light footsteps coming from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a tall, brown-haired man walking in her direction.  
  
Alanis' eyes sprang open when she saw the coourless eyes and unmistakable hairstyle. "Eike?!" She asked herself, seeing that Eike looked exactly like he did in the present time. "What's he doing here?! This is fifty years ago!"  
  
Obviously, Eike didn't hear or see her. His focus was on the two men standing aside, under the light. His hands were balled into fists, his eyes were narrowed in anger and his teeth were clenched. When Eike stopped walking, he was right beside Alanis.  
  
"You two will pay for what you did to Rina." Eike growled to himself, quiet enough so that neither of the two men could hear him.  
  
Alanis' eyes widened ever more when Eike's left arm started bulging. His body was getting bigger, he was growing muscles, long claws were replacing the fingernails and he had talons that would make Landis jealous. His eyes turned into a bright shade of yellow and his entire body was turning black. Eike's lower lip extended past the upper lip as razor sharp fangs stuck out from it.  
  
Once the transformation was complete, Alanis' heartbeat stopped for a second, suddenly figuring out how Eike could stay looking the same after fifty years.  
  
He was really a Nightshade.  
  
Letting out a howl of fury, Eike lunged at the two men, who suddenly saw him coming. Before either of them had time to react, Eike had pounced them.  
  
Alanis watched in horror as Eike clawed at the two men, leaving many scratches and flesh wounds. Blood was quickly splattering against the wall. As Eike continued attacking the two men, everything went white again.  
  
When the light faded, Alanis was back in the library, still clutching the book that Eike was also holding onto. She breathed heavily, thinking about what she had just found out about Eike.  
  
"Is this...The book you wanted?" Eike asked.  
  
"Uh..." Alanis said, snapping out of her daze. "Oh, sorry Eike. This isn't the book. I must've thought it was something else."  
  
Eike nodded in understanding as Alanis gently let the book go, allowing Eike to reach up and place the book back on the shelf.  
  
While Eike's back was turned to her, Alanis took this chance to turn around and bolt out the door, accidentally bumping into Beecham on the way out.  
  
Alanis ran through Budehuc, running downstairs towards the basement. She just couldn't understand it. Why did she find out these dark secrets when she touched Nadir and Eike, but when she ran into Beecham, nothing happened? A lightbulb suddenly went on inside Alanis' head. Maybe she could only find out the dark secrets of people if they actually HAD dark secrets, not telling anyone about them. The reason why nothing happened when Shabon, Yuiri and Beecham touched her was probably because they had no dark secrets.  
  
Of course, Alanis was too afraid to find out any more secrets, especially after she found that Eike was really a Nightshade.  
  
Alanis found herself running through the basement of the castle, running towards the ship. She bumped into Bazba, Sanae Y and Ayame on the way, but luckily, nothing happened.  
  
The young brunette reached the ship and charged up the stairs, onto the deck. When she reached the deck, Alanis leaned against the mast of the ship, breathing heavily, still trying to figure out how she could figure all of this out.  
  
Alanis suddenly looked around suspiciously. She thought that it was way too quiet, and it felt like she was forgetting something.  
  
Suddenly, her eyes went wide in realization. Wasn't the ship where Landis said he was going to get away from Lilly?  
  
Before Alanis had time to do anything else, a pair of hands reached down from higher up on the mast, grasping her shoulders.  
  
"GRIM REAPER!" Landis, who was hanging onto the mast by his feet, screamed into her ear.  
  
Alanis, however, didn't hear Landis. Everything had already went white.  
  
Alanis couldn't believe her unluckiness. Everywhere she went so far, the first person she touched activated that person's dark secret to her.  
  
"Great." Alanis said as she gulped. "It's Landis' turn."  
  
Looking around, Alanis saw that she was in a dark cave. And by the smell of it, she would've guessed that there was a good amount of dead animals there.  
  
Alanis thought. "This seems like just after Nadir's secret took place." She said, deciding to give up on figuring out how she knew these things. "I wonder what this has to do with Landis."  
  
Suddenly, Alanis spotted something coming her way. Someone was walking through the cave, clutching a brightly-shining torch in one hand. One look at the man and Alanis realized that he was a Winghorde. He looked somewhat like Landis, except that he had longer hair, different clothes, no scythe and no head bandage.  
  
Alanis thought that the Winghorde man looked familiar, but heard something before she had time to think of it any further.  
  
A low, menacing growl. Alanis knew that it was a wolf, but when she turned to look behind her, she wished that she didn't. This wolf didn't even look like a wolf anymore. It had almost no fur and bits of its own skin were hanging from various parts of its body.  
  
"How can a wolf live long enough for something like this to happen?!" Alanis said in disgust, quickly turning away.  
  
The Winghorde man lifted the torch closer to his face, as if trying to make out the deformed wolf.  
  
Alanis' eyes went wide, suddenly recognizing the Winghorde from pictures she had seen of him. "Hey! It's Sid from the Dunan Unification War!"  
  
Indeed, it was Sid. However, Alanis didn't have much more time to think about what this had to do with Landis. The wolf had already lunged at him.  
  
Alanis watched as Sid wrestled with the huge wolf. Suddenly, she heard a loud snap coming from Sid's arm, telling her that the wolf had just broken it.  
  
{Do you want to live?} A haunting voice hissed inside Alanis' mind. A cold shiver went down her spine, but she knew that it was directed at Sid.  
  
"Yes!" Sid replied painfully through his teeth. "I want to survive!"  
  
{Keep in mind that you have just accepted a great responsibility.} The voice replied evilly.  
  
Alanis raised an eyebrow, wondering what it meant by that. She suddenly found out, as the attacking wolf let out an agonized howl of pain as it reared back. In the meantime, Sid clutched his broken arm as he stood up. Alanis watched in shock as the wolf lay on the ground, having leg spasms until it finally ceased to move, showing that it was dead.  
  
The young girl quickly turned her attention back to Sid. Something suddenly shot from the dead body of the wolf and struck Sid in the head. The Winghorde screamed in pain as he collapsed to the ground. As the strange object burrowed into his forehead, Sid screamed louder.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Sid screamed in pain. "LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
  
{Hey, I saved you...} The voice replied. {...For myself.}  
  
"W-Who are you?" Sid asked, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.  
  
{I am darkness.} The voice replied darkly. {I am True Shadow.}  
  
Alanis watched as Sid blacked out. Once he did, everything went white again.  
  
The light faded again, showing that Alanis was back on the deck of the ship, Landis' hands still around her shoulders. As quick as she could, Alanis jerked away from Landis, turned around and looked up at him as she slowly backed away from him.  
  
Landis stared at Alanis strangely as she turned around again and ran back down the stairs. After she vanished, an insane grin floated across his face. "I'm better than I thought." He said.  
  
Alanis ran back through Budehuc, ignoring all of the stares she was getting from everyone else. Was is possible? Landis was really Sid? He possesses a True Rune in his head against his will? Well, that certainly explained his head bandage.  
  
Tears of fright flew from Alanis' face as she ran. She never asked for all of these abilities. All she wanted was to become normal again. She didn't know how many more secrets she could take.  
  
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Alanis sat near Mamie's restaurant, sitting on the stone ledge that dropped into the water. Although she didn't show it, she was so scared about these new powers that she had. If anyone found out that she knew these secrets, who knows what might happen.  
  
The young girl sighed. She hoped that she wouldn't be able to touch anyone else until she figured out how she could get rid of these powers, but didn't know how she could do that.  
  
"Hey, Alanis?"  
  
Alanis looked over her shoulder and saw Samus walking over to her. She forced a smile. "Hi, Samus." She greeted.  
  
"Why are you just sitting around?" Samus asked. He suddenly noticed her red, puffy eyes. "Have you been crying?" He asked, sitting down beside her.  
  
Alanis sighed. "I'm just worried about Melville and Elliot." She lied. "I mean, Melville isn't exactly the strongest fighter we have yet, and he's gone to the Northern Cavern to help fight the dungeon boss."  
  
Samus chuckled. "I wouldn't worry. From what I've heard, the last time you guys went to the Northern Cavern, Melville stuck up for you and even did battle by himself."  
  
The young girl nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Samus." She said.  
  
The Tinto soldier smiled back. "Anytime, Alanis." He said as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
Alanis' eyes went wide, because as soon as Samus touched her, everything went white.  
  
When Alanis could see, she saw that she was now inside a Karayan hut. She quickly saw a teenage Karayan boy and his mother in the hut.  
  
Alanis shook her head in shocked disbelief. "Samus too?!" She asked. She sighed. "This was twelve years ago." She deducted, using her new powers again.  
  
The young girl saw the boy's mother suddenly grab the boy run to the corner and set him behind several crates and belonging, telling him to stay there no matter what happened.  
  
Alanis watched the woman charge back into the middle of the hut, and just as a lone man pushed open the curtain door and walked inside.  
  
The brunette's eyes widened, recognizing him. "Solon Jhee!" Alanis said.  
  
"Hello, Kelsey." Solon said coldly.  
  
"S-Sir." The woman, Kelsey, stuttered in fear.  
  
"Did you REALLY think you could escape from me?" Solon Jhee quizzed, getting to the point. "Especially after I had some of your men kill your husband?"  
  
"S-Sir, please." Kelsey begged.  
  
"Go away?" Solon finished with a cold glare. "What you and your husband did was unforgivable! Your dear husband already paid, so now it's time for you to do the same."  
  
"Why do you take pleasure in killing? This doesn't solve anything!"  
  
Solon smirked evilly. "But if I kill you, I'll have solved my problem, won't I?"  
  
"Solon, please!"  
  
Solon didn't let her finish. Alanis watched in horror as the tall man pulled his sword back and lunged forward, piercing Kelsey through the stomach.  
  
Alanis quickly looked over her shoulder at the young Karayan boy, who was staring at the scene before him in shock.  
  
Solon smirked as he put his face closer to Kelsey's. "Think of it this way, my dear. You've paid your debt. I won't be after you anymore."  
  
Tipping his sword towards the ground, the evil Highland general allowed Kelsey to slide off the cold blade of steel.  
  
Alanis watched as Solon Jhee turned around and left the hut. As soon as he left the hut, everything went white again.  
  
When the light faded. Alanis for once wasn't surprised to find herself back in front of Mamie's restaurant. She gasped as she jerked away from Samus. The Tinto soldier looked at his hand, confused. He looked at Alanis. "Something the matter?" He asked.  
  
Alanis paused. She quickly shook her head. "Sorry, Samus. You've must've touched a nerve or something." She replied, rubbing her shoulder.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry, Alanis." Samus replied as he stood up. "I didn't realize that."  
  
"It's alright, Samus." Alanis replied as she stood up as well. "Well, I'd better go find something to do. It beats just sitting here."  
  
Samus nodded. "Quite." He replied. "I'll be seeing you around, Alanis." With that, Samus turned around and walked towards the door leading to the basement.  
  
As soon as the basement door shut behind Samus, Alanis turned around and ran away, running up the hill.  
  
As Alanis found herself running towards the ranch, several more thoughts were going through her head. Samus was, in fact, a Karayan, when he himself denied it? Solon Jhee was the one that caused him so much pain by killing his parents? Why would Samus keep this a secret?  
  
Alanis' eyes widened. Could it be that Samus thinks Solon Jhee is sill alive and doesn't want to endanger anybody?  
  
The brunette girl ran towards the ranch, where she saw Kathy grooming Gage, her favourite horse.  
  
The blonde rancher looked back and saw Alanis coming her way. She smiled as she turned away from her horse. "Heya, Alanis!" She greeted.  
  
Alanis forced a smile. "Hey, Kathy." She replied.  
  
"So what brings you out here?" Kathy asked.  
  
Although terrified from everything she had learned in the past while, Alanis managed to hide it. "I'm just out for a jog around the castle to get some fresh air. The Storeroom can sure get stuffy sometimes." She replied.  
  
Kathy chuckled. Her smiled suddenly faded. "Alanis, I'm so sorry for sending you out onto the racetrack on that horse. You could've gotten extremely hurt."  
  
Alanis shook her head. "It's not your fault, Kathy. You didn't know what was going to happen." She then shrugged. "Anyway, it worked out for the best. Sir Percival's gonna be so ticked off when he finds out I creamed his record."  
  
Kathy chuckled again. She reached out and placed a hand of Alanis' shoulder in a similar fashion to what Samus did. "Alanis, are you sure you weren't hurt bad?"  
  
Alanis didn't hear her. Everything went white again.  
  
Alanis looked around when she could finally see again. "Oh, no! Not Kathy!" Alanis said. She saw that she was in a vast field, standing outside of a house with a ranch connected to it.  
  
"Hey, this wasn't that long ago. Two, maybe three years ago." Alanis said. "What could possibly happen to Kathy that would make her want to keep secret?" She was almost too afraid to find out.  
  
Suddenly, Alanis smelled the distinct smell of burning wood. Turning around, she saw three bandits riding towards the house on horseback, each of them carrying a bow with a flaming arrow ready to be fired from each of them. Alanis' eyes widened, realizing what this meant.  
  
"They're going to burn the house!"  
  
"Remember, you two." The leader of the bandits said. "Kill whoever opens the gate for the horses to escape."  
  
"And then we'll surround the horses and take them back to our hideout to sell them" Another of the bandits finished for the leader.  
  
The leader nodded. "Correct. Now get ready to fire!"  
  
Alanis watched as all three of the bandits prepared to fire the flaming arrows at the house. Deciding to see who lived in the house, Alanis ran towards it, away from the bandits.  
  
"Fire!" The leader shouted from behind her.  
  
The brunette girl saw the three flaming arrows sail over her head and strike the walls of the house, quickly setting them on fire. Within a short while, a good amount of the house was on fire.  
  
Alanis quickly saw the front door open as smoke filled the air. Two figures exited the house, a mother and her teenage daughter.  
  
The young girl quickly recognized the daughter. "Kathy!" Alanis said.  
  
Kathy's mother quickly saw the bandits approaching. "Oh, no! Bandits!" She cried. "Kathy! We have to get the horses out of here before they arrive!"  
  
The sixteen year-old Kathy nodded. "Okay, mother!" She said as she and her mother jumped the fence. They knew that if they opened the gate, the bandits would kill them and take the horses easily.  
  
"What are they doing?!" The bandit leader asked. "They're supposed to open the gate!"  
  
"Hey, boss!" One of the others said. "Do you think that woman's trained those horses to jump the gate?"  
  
The leader was silent for a few seconds. "Kill them! Kill them before they escape with he horses!"  
  
Kathy's mother quickly hoisted her daughter onto Gage and looked back. All three of the bandits looked like they were about to fire their arrows again.  
  
And they were all aiming at Kathy.  
  
Doing the only thing she could think of, Kathy's mother leapt onto Gage and shielded her daughter from harm. But it came at a price, as all three of the arrows plunged into her back.  
  
Alanis watched in horror as Kathy's mother fell from the horse, landing on the ground.  
  
"MOTHER!!" Kathy screamed.  
  
Kathy's mother shouted something to the horses with all of her remaining strength. All of the horses took this as a signal and ran towards the far edge of the fence, all of them leaping gracefully over it. Gage also leapt over the fence, still carrying Kathy, who was reaching out for her mother.  
  
Alanis looked down at Kathy's mother after all of the horses ran to safety. She collapsed to the ground completely, where she lay still. She was still staring at the horrifying scene before her when everything went white again.  
  
The light faded again, showing Alanis that she was back at the ranch of Budehuc, Kathy's hand still on her shoulder.  
  
"Alanis?" Kathy asked. "Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Uh...Oh, yeah." Alanis said as Kathy released her shoulder. "I'm fine Kathy. Sorry, but I'd better get going."  
  
Kathy nodded. "I understand. Thanks for dropping by." She said with her trademark smile.  
  
Alanis nodded as she turned around and ran off, wondering how Kathy could stay smiling after such a horrible thing happened to her.  
  
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Alanis flew through the basement again, this time heading straight towards the Storeroom.  
  
The young girl bumped into a few more people, but luckily, nothing happened. She didn't have time to apologize. She was so close to tears and she didn't want people asking what happened.  
  
Alanis quickly reached the Storeroom, where Muto was standing behind the counter. Alanis flew past the Kobold without saying anything and charged straight into the Storeroom.  
  
Upon going inside the Storeroom, the brunette silently walked over to a crate. Alanis sat down on it, curled into a ball and sobbed silently.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: I'd just like to say thank you to DEL! for letting me tie into her Eike theory and Straya for letting me tie into her Landis theory! Please read and review! 


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